>> trust? as far as trust, this guy has to know what his animals are. >> can you ever trust the animals? >> wait a minute. >> jesus -- >> comes down to. >> never have i wanted to end a show more than i do right now. i wish i could say it's been a pleasure. it's been an experience. jack, that is all for us tonight i'm going to have a cold shower. i'm going to have a cold shower. good evening. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >> if you are looking for tonight's breaking news look out the window.

just about anywhere east of the mississippi there is something to see. much of it seasonably nasty. the kind of stuff tieing up travel. the rest is unexpected. dozens of tornados, out of season and out of the blue, in your face. >> my god we need to go. it is right there. keep recording, we got to hurry up and get past this. >> one view of the storm as it moved through the mobile, alabama area. now here's another. >> my god look that is a tornado. oh, wow. jesus look at that tornado. my god that is cool. jesus please keep your hands on whoever's over there. look at them. that is like two tornados.

it's two funnels on the ground. oh lord. look there. wow. oh, oh, my god, look at that. look there is another one it is fixing to touch down. we're fixing to have to get in the bathroom. it's coming toward us. >> you don't expect a tornado in december but in the south like in little rock, arkansas you don't expect much know but they got it. 9 inches, in fact, more than they've seen 86 years. it's more common farther north but rarely so much at once. a foot and a half or more in the northeast. it is enough to make you want to stay put and watch cnn. we have everything you need to know tonight.

from wherever everywhere it matters starting with alexandra steele. who is getting hit the hardest right now. they are not going anywhere. here is a look at the radar picture. the white. heavy rain. but here is where the snow is. it has lifted out. illinois, indiana, ohio, clearing conditions there. but, right along i 90 that is where the heaviest snow is. and where new york state and new jersey we'll see that rain lift up. washington improving conditions. new york city very heavy rain and very gusty winds. that is part of the problem with this storm and has been since the beginning. we are seeing the swaths of snow but the winds are so strong. in the last three hours 40 mile per hour wind gusts in new york city. so again, the snow cheering out of illinois and indiana but look at what it has left behind. in areas of illinois, 18 inches.

in indy, 7 inches, kentucky, 4 inches. and here's what's left of it. the whole storm lifting to the north. upstate and western new york getting 5 to 9 inches of snow. nine to 12 inches in northern new york and the green and white mountains of new hampshire. >> and of course all anybody wants to know is when can we expect to see the weather improve around the country? >> it will. it is going to improve. we are going to watch this move. here is the area of low pressure we are watching. here's the time stamp tonight at 10:00. right on the money. here is where that low pressure is right over washington where is it an but it is going to the north. much of pennsylvania by tomorrow morning is clear by 6:00 a.m. new york state ensconced in snow by tomorrow. throughout the day tomorrow we head toward noon and you can see

it lifting to the north. it finally by thursday night you can see where it is it moves out on friday. there is another storm brewing that we'll have to talk about later for new england also taking a similar track for new year's eve and new year's eve day. >> we'll have to keep an eye on that. >> these are holiday storms. >> thank you. well, if you are watching tonight, there is a good chance that you are watching after a flight has been delayed. or trying to reschedule after a flight cancellation. as always when a big storm blows through, the entire airline system feels it. holley furfur is in atlanta right now. cancellations are bad right now and the worst might not be over. 1400 flights have been cancelled right now. as the storm heads to new england. tonight into tomorrow, that number may get worse.

delays in airports from detroit to new york. an hour, hour and a half. in philadelphia, two and a half hours they're waiting. it's not just the passengers getting frustrated. some of the pilots as well. listen to an american airlines pilot who had been sitting on the tarmac for five hours waiting with the passengers. listen to this announcement. >> it is beyond reproach. i have no words to tell you how sorry i am for all this. decisions are being made way above our heads by people that obviously in my humble opinion don't have a clue what they're doing. >> reporter: according to american airlines the problem they say was that they put safety first and they were worried about deicing the plane. the storm came so fast and they were concerned about the safety

of their passengers before they were worried about takeoff time. this is going to continue into tomorrow. 90 flights have been cancelled for tomorrow as the storm conditions. if you are planning on traveling, it is best to call your airlines ahead of time so you are not waiting in the airports. >> what about the roads? and for those planning to hit the road? >> reporter: the roads are just as bad. they are treacherous. in the midwest the roads are icy. look at this video we got earlier from indianapolis. an 18 wheeler slid off of an icy road and had to be towed to safety. the midwest not strangers to winter weather and winter storms. the indianapolis pacers cancelled an nba game tonight with the chicago bulls because they were concerned about people on the roads. it's too dangerous on the roads there. greyhound cancelled most of their midwest to east coast buses. so it is a mess everywhere. check if you are planning on

going somewhere. it most likely may be cancelled especially if it's a plane or bus. >> holly, thank you very much. as we have been showing you. whether by air or by road there is nothing easy or simple about getting around tonight. they have been hammered in the midwest and now the northeast is bearing the brunt. inez is in syracuse tonight. what are the conditions looking like right now? >> it started snowing here and the heavier snow is expected to last four or five hours. and syracuse is expecting about a foot of snow. what you are seeing behind me is accumulation from previous snowstorms in the last four days they have gotten 14 inches of snow here. >> a big concern is visibility. overnight as the storm gets heavier, what can you tell us about that?

>> reporter: right, visibility and also ice. snow falling on top of snow and ice in some areas. even when we got out of our car we almost slipped in one area. that is why the city has plows throughout the area. they have been sprinkling salt in anticipation of the snowstorm. now city officials say that syracuse is used to this amount of snow. the challenge tonight is this amount of snow in such a short period of time and it's been almost two years since syracuse has seen one foot of snow all in one shot, randy. >> thank you for the update from syracuse. a lot more happening tonight. late news on avoiding the tax hikes and budget cuts that could sink the economy. president obama is rushing back to washington. the question is what kind of reception will he get from the lawmakers he has been negotiating with. >> we have our political insiders coming up.

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he had recommended u.s. rep in a letter sharply before he died. with six days before we go off the fiscal cliff. president is flying back to washington tonight unconcern what kind of deal making possibles he will find when we will come back. republican leaders made no decision about when to call their members back nor it is clear what kind of deal, if any, they will have to vote on. a lot of digging tonight for cnn's dana bash. i know we don't have any decisions out of the call but do question have a sense what republicans are telling speaker boehner? how likely are we to see a vote in time to avoid going of the cliff? >> it is in part the reason why house republicans didn't make a decision to bring the house back or when to do it. the ball is in the senate's courts especially with senate democrats. that has changed big time since a few weeks ago. at this point what they are trying to figure out is whether or not they can find enough

republicans to cross party lines for what the president proposed right before he left for hawaii which is a scaled-back bill focusing on tax cuts and on what he campaigned on which is only keeping the cuts in place for those making over $250,000. is it a big ask to get ten senate republicans to get them to cross over. >> so what more do we know then. it is still being crafted and that is part of the dance that's being done in these next few days which is exactly what do democrats have to put into this in order to lure those republicans if anything. is there anything they can do. fundamentally, for most republicans voting for the president's plan which would raise taxes on the top 2%,

they're not going to go for it. but perhaps, democrats think if they can add an extension of the estate tax cut or put tax extenders in there they can lure some republicans. but that is part of the negotiation that's going to go on behind the scenes between democrats and one by one republican after republican. >> the senate democrats say they think it's best to wait until the very last minute. why is that? >> this is going to make voters and viewers so happy i'm sure. the reason is they know the reality. and they have seen it time and time again, congress acts when they are up against a deadline and not before. we are close to it. but it won't be until they are facing the cliff and teetering off the edge that the republicans will say fine, uncle, i'll go for this even though i don't think it's the right thing. for the most part.

sources think that the most likely scenario is going off the cliff. the republican is because, again, this is not going to make voters or viewers happy is because politically it's easier for members of congress to vote for a tax cut which is what they are voting for than what right now they are voting for a tax increase. >> thank you. we'll continue to watch it along with you. >> more raw politics now with david girgin and alice stewart. good to see all after you. maria i'll start with you tonight. you have been around washington excite a while and watched these 11th hour negotiations. it seems that democrats will not budge on their insistence that the taxes be raised for the wealthiest americans.

>> it does. i think a couple of things are at work here. the first one is you said it. democrats are not going to budge. and i don't think that they should. if there was one thing that was clear about what president obama and the democrats campaigned on, this past election cycle and by the way he won, was exactly this fall back plan or the small piece of tax cuts being extended for 98% of american families and 97% of small businesses. there is a bill in the senate sitting there right now that the house could actually vote on. they don't need to wait for anything to pass the senate. the house could call a vote on it right now and 98% of america's families could see protection of their tax cuts extended. so i think that is a strong position for the democrats. they won on this. the majority of american people

agree that the 2% of the wealthiest in this country can afford to pay a little bit more. most wealthy people agree with that. >> you believe president and leaders prefer going over the cliff so they can raise taxes and blame the g.o.p. but republicans have the option of locking in tax cuts for most americans right now. >> i think the president does want to do that because as you said he can increase taxes, point the finger at the republicans but we need to have spending cuts. this is not an issue that is going to be resolved with taxes right away. the house has issued legislation that would extend the tax cuts and also erase military cuts. and it's in the senate's hands and they need to act on that.

but something else that came up, it's critical and a reminder in this scenario. secretary geithner issued a letter today warning the country that we are going to hit the debt ceiling on new year's eve. this is just a stark reminder that we have out of control spending in this country and congress needs to wake up and smell the coffee that the spending needs to be addressed first and foremost not just raising taxes on americans. >> so david, hard to believe that we are still talking about this. did you see it happening like this? is washington so broken they can't find a compromise? >> i must confess i'm a short term pessimist but a long-term optimist. the country will get back on track but it will take a while. damage has been done because of this craziness in water. business plans are down. business sentiment is down. we're going to pay a price this

next year regardless if we go off the cliff. how extraordinary is it? the senate hasn't acted or called back to act on a bill between christmas and new year's for 49 years. the first time in 49 years the senate has had to come back like this. i think the prospects are strong that we are going to go over the cliff. they high because the differences are so big. the republicans are going to clearly get most of the blame if we go over the cliff on taxes but the republicans have an argument. look, the president promised us for every one dollar of tax increases he would put on the table two and a half dollars of spending decreases. the dollars for tax increases are on the table but the spending decreases are not on the table. they pay the price. >> they could have had a more popular message about cutting deficit spending, right? >> the truth is they would have been a lot better off taking the

deal that boehner was negotiating with president obama way back when. it was a better deal all the way around. they missed that moment. but i think the real thing is who pays the price. the people who are going to pay the price are the americans, the middle class. this is crazy. it's nuts to be putting us through this. >> all of the focus on tax cuts. but the revenue from increasing the taxes on the wealthy will barely make a debt in the deficit to say nothing of the trillions in debt we're talking about. is this just a symbolic fight this the president is determined to win off his election? >> it's not symbolic. there will be money raised if the taxes are left to expire. but let me just bring up a point. no democrat and certainly not this president has said there should be no spending cuts. on the contrary this president has put on the table an extraordinary amount of spending

cuts to the chagrin of many democrats i might add. are they to the extent the grand bargain was? no, of course not. the president is in a much stronger political position right now. let's remember that this president has never walked away from the bargaining table. the speaker of the house has walked away twice now. so david's right. republicans will get the blame politically. does that mean that we shouldn't continue to try? no. because ultimately americans are the ones who are going to be hurt if -- especially the middle class families and remember there is a bill today in the senate where the house could pass it tomorrow if they wanted to to protect the majority of america's middle class families. >> which is a worse political fate going over the cliff or voting to increase taxes on wealthy americans and small businesses? if we go over the cliff the

republicans didn't vote for an increase and vote for a tax cut and look good. >> the point is not what looks worse for republicans or democrats it's what is worse for the american people. >> doesn't that seem to be what they are worried about? >> they are worried about out of control spending to. your point about tax increases, what we are looking at now, it is like a mortal wound to our chest. we have blood gushing out of our chest and they come along and put a band-aid on our forehead. they're not addressing the real pop problem. we have to address the spending. if we give the president every tax increase that he wants. we have a trial dollar debt every year. >> and the president has addressed that. no one is saying that there should be no spending cuts. he has done that. >> david? >> ultimately.

listen, guys, we've got to find a bridge to get across. >> absolutely. >> what are the ways that we can agree on that will help us through that. i would worry if we spend the next three or four days of crisis for the country getting back if "n" the fox holes and shoot across at each other. we have to come out of the fox holes. you know our international reputation is going to suffer. every other country in the world and watching this is going to say is america prepared to lead. if we can't solve this the conclusion has to be you can't trust these guys. >> if the nation slides into a recession, isn't it easy to imagine the blame equally spread around washington? >> i think the republicans will pay the biggest price in the beginning. the president so far has the

fact is the republicans have been losing the message war on that. everybody knows that. the fact is it's being painted as a party too extreme and too far to the right. for its own sake it need to listen to the right of center not the far right to figure this out. the republican party can repair itself over time. but right now it has to act as if the country's needs come first. what do we need to do to protect the country's welfare. we thought it would come with the end of the elections. it didn't. then we thought it would come with the shootings in connecticut. it hasn't come. maybe they can say we're above this and stand for something bigger than this petty bickering. >> we'll see. >> the voice of reason. >> if i -- as a mother, this whole scenario takes it tougher to show your children how adults act. i don't want to show them how

washington is acting. it's exactly the opposite. my daughter and my son are getting along much better at christmas, imagine that with sharing with all the toys than the leaders in washington. exactly. >> maria, alice, david, nice to see you, thank you. >> late developments as well concerning the health of america's 41th president, george h.w. bush. he's been in the hospital for weeks. dr. sanjay gupta is here to plain what is going on. ♪ if loving you is wrong ♪ i don't wanna be right [ record scratch ] what?! it's not bad for you. it just tastes that way. [ female announcer ] honey nut cheerios cereal -- heart-healthy, whole grain oats. you can't go wrong loving it. [ male announcer ] jill and her mouth have lived a great life. but she has some dental issues she's not happy about.

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former president george h.w. bush spent christmas in the hospital. he is 88 years old and has developed a stubborn fever and has been in the hospital since sunday. dr. sanjay gupta joins me by phone. it was expected he would be going home for christmas. but he is still in the icu. how dangerous is bronchitis and the fever for someone his age? >> reporter: the age plays a big role here.

bronchitis is something that can be easily treated and oftentimes -- some of the times it needs antibiotics to treat it. in you and me it would be a pretty easy thing to treat. he was on the general care floor and went back to the icu with the fever indicates that the bronchitis was not completely treated or came back. and both of those things we take seriously. as you might guess the biggest concern might this turn into pneumonia. bronchitis an infection of the airways and pneumonia an infection of the lungs. but it is important he is talking to his doctors. he is joking around with his doctors, shows his spirit and shows he is not needing assisted breathing or a breathing machine and that is a good sign. >> as we said, he has been

hospitalized right now for more than a month. to a lot of people that sounds a very serious. but right now he is in guarded condition in the intensive care unit. what does that mean, sanjay? >> guarded is one of these terms that is not a formal medical term. you think of someone being in serious or critical condition. this is somewhere in between. i think that's the best way to describe it. when i take care of patients in the intensive care unit and we say they're guarded we are keeping an eye on several things. that could be the lungs or someone's kidney function or neurological status. we don't know what this means particularly with the former president. but he needs to be in the intensive care unit because we need around the clock monitoring. and all of his vital signs and there are things that we are trying to prevent from basically going in the wrong direction.

they haven't done that yet to become a critical situation but we are worried enough there are several things to keep an eye on and the icu is the best place for that to happen. >> and he is on a liquid diet does that tell you anything in particular? >> there are several reasons, one is they cannot eat solid food. they don't have appetite or having difficulty swallowing. the former president talked about the fact he may have a farm of parkinson's. that's how he describes it. people who have parkinson's disease have difficulty swallowing. as someone develops an infection around the airways it becomes more difficult to protect their airway. when they eat something they have a greater risk of aspirating it and it goes down their windpipe or their trachea. that's some of the reasons they

are on a liquid diet as well. but the main important thing in the icu is a patient -- the former president needs to get the calories he needs to heal. however they can give it to him, solid or liquid, that's the most important thing. >> appreciate it. thank you very much. >> you got. >> let's check in on some other top stories. >> randy former south african president nelson mandella is home from the hospital. he will continue to receive treatment. the 94-year-old is being treated for a lung infection. he had surgery to remove gallstones. he has not appeared in public since 2010. >> serious chief of military police has defected to join the revolution. in a video posted on youtube which cnn cannot verify he says syria's army has deviated from the mission to protect the country. >> the two firefighters who survived the sniper ambush in

webster, new york will be upgraded to satisfactory condition. they were shot monday while responding to a house fire. the two firefighters who were killed will have funerals on sunday and monday. nbc david gregory may have violated d.c. gun laws. during an interview on "meet the press" he held up a high-capacity magazine which is illegal in the district. the police department is now investigating that. >> thank you very much. up next, big news if you drive a toyota or have been watching our exclusive reporting on cars that owners say accelerated out of control. a billion dollar settlement to tell you about and more when "360" continues. v8 v-fusion. vegetable nutrition they need, fruit taste they love. could've had a v8. or...try kids boxes!

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big news, a billion dollars worth in fact. toy that announcing a massive

payout, $1.1 billion therers to settle a class action lawsuit. in addition to the money, toyota agreed to modify affected cars. more than 1 million people may be covered by the record settlement which follows a record $17 million fine toyota paid federal regulators earlier this month. "360" has been on this since the beginning. back in february, drew griffin uncovered a link between the acceleration and toyota software that highlighted an internal memo that the company concedes it did not give to federal investigators. his story featured a customer who said she is convinced that her brand new lexus surged ahead on its on. >> reporter: tonya thought that the problems with suddenly accelerating toyotas were old news which is why she bought

this 2011 lexus ef 350 last june. >> did you think it was solved? >> i thought it was solved. the federal government tested toyota. they said it was floor mats or a sticky throttle or something like that and i believed the government. >> 7,000 miles later on the day after christmas. she said she was pulling into a parking spot at a local mall gently riding the brake, she says -- take a listen. . >> the car lurched forward and hit the cement wall in front of us. >> she strained ligaments in her foot causing massive swelling. the dealer insisted she call the toyota contain lawyer. >> and you won't drive this again? >> i will not. >> toyota has never conceded that there was a problem.

but drew found a document that is written in japanese and english translation that shows one instance what antwonic software problem was discovered. toyota says this has nothing to do with unintended acceleration. other experts disagree. drew griffin is here. first a big settlement earlier this month and now this. >> from the beginning the company maintained it doesn't have a problem. certainly nothing wrong with the electronic throttle control system. the company said it was three things. stuck gas pedals, stuck floor mats and operator error which they believe was tonya's case. so then what is the settlement all about? why settle? this is what the legal officer

said in a statement today. this was a difficult decision since evaluations and evidence have confirmed the safety of toyota's electronic throttle control systems. however we concluded that turning the page on this legacy legal issue through the positive steps we are taking is in the best interest of the company, the employees, dealers and customers. the court trials are creeping up on toyota a lot of lawyers asking for a lot of documents and depositions and this settlement keeps all those records a up of the public just like the records we found on "ac360" in this fast february. it's a way for toyota to say we're keeping this out of court. >> who gets the money from the settlement? >> the bulk will go to customers past and presence and that includes a brake override system

for all the vehicles that had a problem with floor mats getting stuck. for owners who sold their cars during the crisis when the sales and values of cars plummeted, toyota set aside $250 million to compensate owners for the loss and a separate $250 million to compensate owners who don't qualify for the override system and all 16 million current owners will be eligible for a warranty of certain parts related to sudden unintended acceleration. the warrants are from three to ten years. and clearly the intent is to turn the page just like toyota said put the legacy legal issue behind the company. the company can afford it. they hope this just puts the unintended acceleration in the past. >> thanks very much. all right just ahead, remembering emile, ana and

josephine. their funerals were the last ones in the newtown tragedy. tonight we remember the mark these three first graders made. [ woman ] ring. ring. progresso. i just finished a bowl of your new light chicken pot pie soup and it's so rich and creamy... is it really 100 calories? let me put you on webcan... ...lean roasted chicken... and a creamy broth mmm i can still see you. [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. anyone have occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating? yeah. one phillips' colon health probiotic cap each day

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ask your doctor about cialis for daily use and a 30-tablet free trial. no one could have predicted how life would change 12 days ago in newtown, connecticut. this has been a wrenching time and many difficult days lie ahead. there are no adequate words to

describe the murder of 20 first graders and six staffers at sandy hook elementary school. since the tragedy the town's police officers have worked around the clock. there have been so many funerals and grieving families to assist. yesterday they got a much needed break. officers from police departments across the state stepped in so the first responders could have a day off. the last of the funerals were held over the weekend. three little girls who had barely begun their lives. we were them tonight. >> ana marquez green loved picture problems, arts and crafts and ballet and loved people fiercely. she was known for her singing voice bigger than her size. ♪ come though all mighty king >> reporter: just six years old, ana grew up with music in her ears and her love of singing was evident before she could talk.

her father is a musician and college music instructor. his 2009 album features a song he wrote about her entitled "ana grace." her mode of transportation was dance. she leaves behind her parents and brother isaiah, also a student at sandy hook elementary. he was unharmed. on a facebook page set up by her family she write's know this is your best crist mat yet at home with your lord and savior. as your mom i just wish we could have had a few more to celebrate here on earth. ♪ amen >> josephine grace gay turned 7 before her life was cut short. known to her family as joey she was to have a birthday party the day after the shooting with many of her sandy hook classmates. mourners at her funeral were

encouraged to wear purple in her honor. joey rarely left the house without wearing something purple. she loved to play with her barbie doll, ipad, swim, swing and be anywhere with her sisters. josephine's parents said she was autistic and could not speak but she touched the lives of so many around her. teachers, therapists, friends, neighbors, neighbors all loved and cherished her. when she saw someone was sad she would draw them a picture to draw them a picture. >> emile was a teacher. her laughter was infectious and all those who had the pleasure to meet her would agree that this world is a better place because she has been in it.

>> reporter: at her funeral mourners were encouraged to wear her favorite color, pink. her family moved to newtown from utah eight months ago because her father got a job in the local hospital caring for newborns. her funeral was held back in utah. >> emile was an example to not only her big sisters but to her family. to all her little friends. and now she's become an example to the world about purity, innocence, tragedy and forgiveness. >> we remember tonight. we'll be right back. a hybrid? most are just no fun to drive.

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we are just days away from the most unpredictable night of the year here on cnn. i'm talking of course about new year's eve when anderson and kathy griffin co-host our live coverage from times square. you never know who to expect when they team up. here's something you can count

on. just like last year viewers will have a chance to see their own new year's messages on air. tweet using #cnnnye hour on our facebook page. anderson and kathy are gearing up for their big night. here's a preview. >> we're going to break it down this year. >> yeah. >> and this year the mask is coming off. >> the what is? >> the mask. >> what mask? >> the secrets that you have been keeping. i don't mean the obvious one that i'm bored with. i mean the darker secrets. this year you are in my baby bjorn sobbing and that's my 10/20. >> i like that image of me in a baby bjorn sobbing. >> i'm getting one and you will be clutching me like the clone

monkeys where they are holding each other for safety. >> we tried to get the monkey from ikea because i'm obsessed with that monkey. >> you're obsessed with a monkey from ikea? >> you must have seen the monkey that got loose in the shearling coat. >> that is the big booking for the show, the monkey that got loose from ikea? >> that is just a taste of what you're going to get. this is their sixth year together. new year's eve live with anderson cooper and kathy griffin starts at 10:00 p.m. eastern from times square. all this week we are counting down the top ten stories of 2012. we asked you to vote online. number 10 and number 9 are posted online.

>> time for "the ridiculist." and we are adding a piece of exercise equipment from a korean infomercial and follows in the suggestive footsteps as things such as the thy master and shake weight. [ speaking foreign language ] hey now. wow. that is not just suggestive. now there is a language barrier of course. but from what we can gather, this piece of exercise equipment finally addresses a very common problem, that problem being when you desperately want to ride a horse in your living room but when you try to mimic the motion you are likely to fall down. [ speaking foreign language ]

see problem solved, finally a way to pelvic thrust your way to fitness without falling on the floor. the shake weight looks demure by comparison. >> it is going to kick your butt. >> that is it. >> you just shake it back and forth. >> forget the whole demure by comparison thing. it looks like a "saturday night live" sketch. >> introducing the shake weight commercial dvd. and then some static and then nothing else. >> you can show your friends that it is an actual commercial. that's kind of cool. >> i'm sorry all i can think of when i see the shake weight is when i was playing a